JPH04262766A - Heater for food - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable to continuously carry a food material for KAMABOKO (a boiled fish paste), etc., and simultaneously electrically heat the food material, when the food material for the KAMABOKO, etc., is heated by the application of an electric current. CONSTITUTION:Endless ring-like belt electrodes 16A, 16B are disposed on both the sides of a carrying route 10 for carrying a food material in the horizontal direction, and water-permeable films 24A, 24B are disposed along the carrying route in the transferable state. The food material is nipped with the belt electrodes from both the sides through the water-permeable films and simultaneously carried, while an electric current is applied to the food material from the belt electrodes.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] This invention is applicable to the production of food products such as kamaboko, especially kamaboko with a board in which fish meat or other paste is molded on a board and manufactured with the board still attached, and other various paste products. The present invention relates to a device that heats food materials such as minced fish meat using Joule heat generated when electricity is applied to the food materials.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In the process of manufacturing kamaboko with a plate, it is generally done by kneading surimi such as fish meat, shaping it into a predetermined shape on a plate, and then heating it. As one of the heating means in this case, attempts have recently been made to use a heating device that utilizes Joule heat accompanying energization.

[0003] In a heating device that uses Joule heat, it is necessary to bring a pair of electrodes into contact with the surimi formed on a plate and to flow a current from the electrodes into the surimi. When pressed, there is a problem that the electrode surface becomes dirty due to adhesion of the surimi and the salt contained therein, and the electrode surface is corroded or oxidized, and the surimi itself becomes dirty. Therefore, it has been considered to interpose a water-permeable film between the surimi and the electrode.In this case, if the water-permeable film is moistened by soaking it in water in advance, the surimi can be passed from the electrode through the film. In addition, if the surimi itself contains a large amount of water, the water in the surimi moistens the water-permeable film, and electricity can be applied to the surimi from the electrodes through the film. By interposing a water-permeable film between the electrode and the surimi, the electrode does not come into direct contact with the surimi, which prevents dirt from the surimi from adhering to the electrode surface and prevents corrosion and oxidation of the electrode surface. It is also possible to prevent the surface of the surimi itself from becoming dirty.

By the way, as mentioned above, the present inventors have already proposed a food material heating device using Joule heat generation in which a water-permeable film is interposed between an electrode and a food material such as minced fish in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-277936. issue and patent application Hei 2-66
No. 293, etc., propose a device as schematically shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

That is, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the kamaboko with a plate 1 after being formed as a food material is placed on a tray 2,
The tray 2 is slidably placed on a horizontal traveling bed 31. Tray guides 32 for guiding the side surfaces of the tray 2 are provided on both upper sides of the traveling bed 31. By pushing the tray 2 horizontally with a pusher (not shown), the tray 2 is intermittently moved along the horizontal direction (that is, the direction perpendicular to the paper plane of FIG. 3). Therefore, the tray 2 on which the board-attached kamaboko 1 is placed, the traveling bed 31, and the tray guide 32 form a conveyance path for horizontally transporting the board-attached kamaboko 2. Note that the width W of the tray 2 is made shorter than the length L of the kamaboko with a board 1, and the kamaboko with a board 1 is placed so that both ends thereof protrude outward from both edges of the tray 2 in the width direction. ing.

[0006] A pair of electrodes 3A and 3B are disposed on both horizontal sides of a predetermined position in the conveyance path so as to face both sides of the kamaboko with a plate on the tray 2 in the horizontal direction. , 3B are configured to be moved toward and away from each other by forward and backward drive mechanisms 4A and 4B, such as fluid pressure cylinders. Further, between the conveyance path and the left and right electrodes 3A, 3B, long strip-shaped water-permeable films 5A, 5B are arranged so as to be movable in the vertical direction. This water permeable film 5A, 5B
is pulled out from feed rolls 6A, 6B arranged below the electrodes 3A, 3B, passes through water tanks 7A, 7B for wetting, and then is connected to the electrodes 3A, 3B and the kamaboko 1 with a plate. The film reaches a position between the electrodes 3A and 3B, and is further wound up by winding rolls 8A and 8B arranged above the electrodes 3A and 3B.

[0007] At this point, FIG.
If the electrodes 3A, 3B are moved forward as shown by the imaginary lines in the middle, the electrodes 3A, 3B will be moved forward with the water-permeable films 5A, 5B interposed on both the left and right sides of the surimi 1B on the plate 1A of the kamaboko with plate 1. is pressed against the surimi, and current flows into the surimi 1B from the electrodes 3A and 3B via the water-permeable films 5A and 5B, thereby heating the surimi. After heating, the electrodes 3A, 3
After retracting B, if the take-up rolls 8A, 8B are rotated by a predetermined number of rotations or a predetermined rotation angle, the water-permeable films 5A, 5B travel upward by a predetermined distance, and the water-permeable films 5A, 5B The unused portions will be located at portions corresponding to electrodes 3A and 3B. Therefore, when the next new kamaboko with a board is placed between the electrodes by the tray 2 along the conveyance path, and when the surimi of the new kamaboko with a board is electrically heated, it is necessary to A new portion of the surimi will be sandwiched between the electrode and the surimi. In other words, each time an electric heating is performed, a clean, unused part of the water-permeable film is used, so even if the water-permeable film becomes dirty due to contact with the surimi, the dirt will not be removed. Accumulation does not adversely affect the next electrical heating, and it is possible to sufficiently prevent the occurrence of a situation in which film dirt adheres to the electrode and causes corrosion or oxidation of the electrode surface.

As shown in FIG. 4, normally a plurality of kamaboko with plates 1 are sandwiched between a pair of electrodes 3A and 3B at the same time and heated at the same time. Therefore, once heating of a certain number of kamaboko with plates is completed, the same number of kamaboko will be transferred again between the electrodes 3A and 3B.

[0009]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As mentioned above, the kamaboko heating device with a plate using electrical heating shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has excellent advantages, but the present inventors have After repeated experiments and studies, the following problems were found.

That is, in the apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the electrodes 3A and 3B are moved forward, and a certain number of kamaboko with plates 1 are
When energizing the surimi 1B, the traveling of the tray 2 must be stopped and the movement of the plurality of kamaboko with plates must be stopped. Therefore, in the conveyance path of the heating device, after transferring a plurality of kamaboko with plates to the electrode position, the transfer is temporarily stopped, and after heating with electricity, the transfer is restarted to transfer the heated kamaboko with a plurality of plates. This requires intermittent transfer of a plurality of kamaboko by discharging them out of the system and then transporting the next plurality of new kamaboko with plates to the electrode position.

On the other hand, as a pre-heating process for kamaboko with a board, there are generally a molding process in which the surimi is molded onto the board using a molding machine, and a sitting process in which the surimi is given a sitting texture after being formed. Usually, intermediate products are discharged one by one. Therefore, when sending the intermediate product (kamaboko with plates) discharged from the previous process to the intermittent transfer type heating process as described above, until a certain number of kamaboko with plates are stored, There is a problem in that it is necessary to stock kamaboko with boards, and therefore space is required for stocking.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, since the kamaboko with plates discharged from the previous process are once stocked until a certain number is reached and then sent to the heating process, a plurality of kamaboko with plates are heated at the same time. Among the kamaboko, the elapsed time until heating starts is significantly different between the first one that comes out of the previous process and the last one that comes out of the previous process, which causes a difference in the properties of the kamaboko with a board. There is a risk of it getting lost.

The present invention has been made against the background of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to heat food materials such as kamaboko with a plate by energizing the food materials by moving the food materials sequentially and continuously. The purpose of this is to solve the problems mentioned above.

[0014]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a food heating device that heats food materials by applying electricity to conductive food materials to generate heat, and a conveyor system for horizontally transporting food materials. Endless annular belt electrodes that can continuously circulate and move along the conveyance system are arranged on both sides of the conveyance system, and belt electrodes are placed along the conveyance system at a position closer to the food material on the conveyance system than the belt electrodes. A water-permeable film is disposed so as to be movable, and with the water-permeable film interposed in between, the food material on the conveyance system is sandwiched between the belt electrodes from both sides, and the food material is continuously moved and transferred to the belt electrode. It is characterized by being energized.

In the present invention, the water-permeable film may be any thin film that contains water, such as cellophane, paper, cloth, or non-woven fabric, and is usually a hydrophilic film or a water-absorbing film. Alternatively, various film materials and membrane materials also referred to as water-retaining films can be used. In this specification, these films are collectively referred to as water-permeable films.

[0016]

[Function] In the food heating device of the present invention, the food material on the conveyance path is conveyed along the conveyance path while being sandwiched between a pair of belt electrodes from both sides with water-permeable films interposed therebetween. During this process, a voltage is applied between the pair of belt electrodes. The water-permeable film becomes conductive due to moisture applied in advance from the outside, or water and electrolyte substances contained in the food material itself. Therefore, current flows from the belt electrode to the food material through the water-permeable film, and as a result, Joule heat is generated inside the food material and the food material is heated. That is, electrical heating is performed.

[0017] As described above, since the electrical heating is carried out while continuously moving the food material, it is sufficient to continuously feed the food material one by one when feeding the food material into the conveyance path. Therefore, intermediate products of food materials, such as kamaboko with plates, which have been continuously discharged one by one from the previous process of the heating process, can be sent to the heating process as they are without having to be stocked.

[0018]

Embodiment FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the heating device of the present invention.

The transfer path 10 for horizontally transferring the food material, for example, the kamaboko with a plate 1, includes a belt conveyor 12.
It is made up of. This belt conveyor 12 is
The width is set to be smaller than the length of the kamaboko with a board 1 to be transferred, and a groove-shaped recess 14 for holding one kamaboko with a board 1 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the kamaboko in the longitudinal direction (movement direction). They are formed at small intervals in the direction).

Endless annular belt electrodes 16A and 16B are disposed on both sides of the upper surface of the belt conveyor 12, respectively. These belt electrodes 16A, 16B are made of flexible, conductive, and corrosion-resistant metal belts made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, etc. Rollers 20A, 22 having vertical axes along
A; It is constructed to span between 20B and 22B and move in synchronization with the belt conveyor 12 by a drive device such as a motor (not shown).

Further, on both sides of the upper surface of the belt conveyor 12, a long strip of water permeable material such as cellophane is placed on the front side of the belt electrodes 16A, 16B, that is, at a position closer to the belt conveyor 12 than the belt electrodes 16A, 16B. Sex films 24A and 24B are provided. These water-permeable films 24A and 24B are arranged so that their film surfaces are vertical and are transported in the same direction as the moving direction of the belt conveyor 12.
Delivering rolls 26A, 26 on the inlet side of the belt conveyor 12
It is configured to be fed out from B and wound up by take-up rolls 28A and 28B on the delivery side of the belt conveyor 12.

[0022] In the above embodiment, the food material to be heated, for example, the kamaboko with a plate 1, is molded by a molding machine (not shown), and then, if necessary, is given a seat in a sitting process.
Thereafter, it is sequentially placed in each recess 14 of the belt conveyor 12. As the belt conveyor 12 runs, each of the plated kamaboko 1 is conveyed to the right in FIG. It is sandwiched by 16B. Then, by applying a voltage between the belt electrodes 16A and 16B, a current flows through the surimi portion of the kamaboko 1 with a plate through the water-permeable films 24A and 24B, and the surimi portion of the kamaboko 1 is electrically heated. The belt electrodes 16A and 16B are also connected to the belt conveyor 12.
The water-permeable film 24
Since A and 24B are also continuously fed, each of the kamaboko with plates 1 on the belt conveyor 12 is heated with electricity while being continuously transferred. In addition, 1 kamaboko with each board
Once the particles are transferred and removed from the belt electrodes 16A, 16B, energization heating is no longer performed, and thereafter they are discharged from the system by the belt conveyor 12.

In the above embodiment, the belt conveyor 12 is used as the transfer path 10 for horizontally transferring the plated kamaboko 1 as the food material to be heated, but the belt conveyor 12 is used as the transfer means. For example, the structure is not limited to this, and the configuration may be such that the tray is slid on a horizontal bed, or the tray is transported horizontally by a drive chain, in short, the food material is moved horizontally. There is no particular limitation as long as it can be transported.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the transfer line 10 is configured to have only one stage in the vertical direction, but it may be configured to have multiple stages in the vertical direction depending on the case. In this case, belt electrodes may be provided independently for each tier of food materials, but the same belt electrode may also be used for each tier of food materials (i.e., the same belt electrode may be used to simultaneously provide food materials for upper and lower tiers). ) is also possible.

Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the water-permeable films 24A, 24B are not actively humidified, but in some cases, a humidifying means such as a water tank or spray may be provided near the feed rolls 26A, 26B. Of course, you can leave it as is.

[0026]

Effects of the Invention According to the food heating device of the present invention, when heating the food material with electricity using Joule heat generation, the food material can be energized while being moved continuously, so that the steps before the heating step, For example, in the case of kamaboko with a board, matching with the molding process and the sitting process can be performed smoothly. In other words, the food materials that have been continuously discharged from the process before the heating process can be fed into the heating process one after another without having to be stocked. After the completion of the process, the time until energization heating can be made the same for each food material, and therefore there is no fear that variations in the properties of the food materials will occur due to differences in elapsed time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view taken along line AA in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical side view showing an example of a food heating device proposed prior to the present application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the device of FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Kamaboko with board 10 as an example of food material
Transfer line 16A Belt electrode 16B Belt electrode 24A Water permeable film 24B Water permeable film

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: In a food heating device that heats food materials by applying electricity to the conductive food materials to generate heat, a conveyor system is provided on both sides of a conveyance path for horizontally conveying the food materials. An endless annular belt electrode that is movable in continuous circulation along the system path is arranged, and a water-permeable film that is movable along the transport system path is placed at a position closer to the food material on the transport system than the belt electrode. A food product characterized in that the food material on the conveyance system is sandwiched between the belt electrodes from both sides with the water-permeable film interposed in the middle, and the food material is continuously moved while the belt electrodes are energized. heating device.